Anna and Her Sock Monkey Photo Shoot
Anna set up the sock monkey clan in the family room and photographed them. The most cooperative subjects you would wish for. A couple sock monkeys must have been hiding but collecting four grandchildren’s monkeys is the challenging part. Trying to get the real family for a group shot is much more difficulty. I get a kick out of the kids trying out their photography skills. Anna(9) photographed this one with the iPad. Thanks Anna for the guest blog.
Weekly Photo Challenge: A Day in My Life
The challenge came out Friday but this day is Saturday night til Sunday night- Easter! Not an ordinary day.
Chocolate, Eggs, Signs of Spring
Eataly Display
Woman on Cell Phone Carrying a Tulip
The Biggest Box of Chocolates I’ve Seen
Godiva Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Rockefeller Center Chocolates
Plantings About to Bloom on Fifth Avenue
Unusual Flavors at Gourmet Garage
Balloons and Toys
Sock Monkey Welcoming Committee
When I got to Ohio this evening, the kids were in their pjs and had already eaten supper. As I entered the door there was a wagon load of sock monkeys and a handmade Welcome Froo Froo Ruthie sign. It was funny and exciting to arrive and be greeted so enthusiastically. They had run down to the car and helped haul the suitcase and school bag and I carried the one with the camera. Even Murphy was at attention in the driveway as I pulled up. He watched the monkey shot but did not get in it. A quick photo op and no belaboring trying to get everyone’s attention. The monkeys did well again, never moving or flinching! You don’t want to spoil the moment by insisting on multiple poses for a stellar shot. The grandkids all looked wonderful to me. Jack doesn’t like to sit still anyway,
Slow Shutter and the Pink Sock Monkeys
When Anna was a baby I made her a sock monkey out of a pair of Rockford Red Heel Socks, just as I had done for her father when he was little. The sock monkey didn’t get much playtime and I didn’t make anymore for the other three grandchildren. At Christmas I noticed Anna using the sock monkey like a puppet with the other kids at breakfast. Everyone was laughing and she was enjoying playing with her(it is a girl and her name is Mrs. Sock Monkey) She asked me if I could make her a pink sock monkey. I said I didn’t know how I could because I didn’t know at the time you could buy PINK red heel socks.
Last weekend when I visited, the old sock monkey had not only a bed made from a Costco box, covered in blanket but there was a small basket added as a bunk with a junior sized sock monkey wrapped up in a hand knitted dishrag (the sock monkey was one of Murphy the Airedale’s former toys!- every dog needs a sock monkey).
And to Anna and Maura’s surprise, I showed up with two pairs of PINK red heel socks I found online. Laura brought over her portable sewing machine and I sat at the kitchen table stitching up the legs and arms. Anna helped stuff the limbs. The girls were really excited to watch the socks turn into monkeys. I embroidered the eyes and nostrils with some variegated cotton yarn I had as a knitting project.
The next morning as they were waiting to go to church, I had them open the front door to get some available light for a photo of them with their monkeys. Strawberry and Blueberry are their names. Blueberry has blue eyes like Maura and that’s how they can tell them apart. I used a 1/5 shutter speed -handheld -which is really not a good idea. Too much camera shake.
The snow in the night added some reflected light but the winter morning was fairly gray. Murphy decided to come and see what was happening outside and Anna thought he would make a good horse for the monkeys. Murphy didn’t even mind. He remained undisturbed even though Maura was squealing excitedly. Then Anna wrote sock monkey on the condensation inside the storm door glass. I love that all the fancy toys are ignored and the homemade bed out of box and a couple of pairs of socks, transformed into monkeys, delighted the girls. I told Anna how Aunt Mary and I went to the Sock Monkey Museum in Rockford, Illinois.
Murphy isn't even paying attention to a couple of riders!
Maura watches Anna make the sock monkey wave!
I remember writing on windows. The condensation invites it!
Reader Appreciation & Anna Entertains Her Siblings With Mr. Sock Monkey
- Award your top 6 bloggers who have commented the most ( my frequent commenters don’t all have blogs but are good friends around the world who check out the daily photo and write nice comments on the blog- Thanks you to all readers for following the blog!)
- Be thankful. (Thank you Chicago John at fromBartolini Kitchens who nominated me for this award. Wonderful intelligent writing evoking memories of growing up and what was prepared and eaten. He also writes the best comments but I can’t send this award back to him!)
- You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me. (Okay, that eliminates Greg and Katherine at Rufus Food and Spirits Guide, as Chicago John awarded them too but they write great comments, too!)
- Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded. ( I had better hurry up and do that before I post, YIKES!)
- If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay to. Just admire it-
- and unable to copy and paste the award symbol I am posting a reasonable facsimile
My Reader Appreciation Award Shot in Joan's Garden
Six Readers Whom I Appreciate- Be sure to check out their blogs!
1.implicado see the Poinsettias in Mexico and other cool photos shot by Cedric.
2.smilekiddo Spreading happy faces found EVERYWHERE from a swing set to the pavement. Now I see them, too. There is so much more than that summation but check out Stef’s blog.
3. watchingnolanature If you want a walk in the swamp or a hike in the wood with stunning nature photography check out Carla’s blog. If you live in the north and want to feel warmer head to NOLA.
4. thirdhand art Theresa has a photography blog and is a regular reader and commenter.
5. mark goodwin photography - a photography blogger based in Wales
6. goofy runner my sweet daughter who writes hundreds of comments on the blog. You saw her wedding on my blog recently.
Had to keep up with my daily photo post effort as 2011 comes to a close. Maybe not the clearest shot but I came upon this scene in the kitchen this morning. I made the sock monkey for Anna when she was small and the arms look like they need a little plastic surgery by the seamstress. Anna asked if I could make a PINK sock monkey and would you believe I found the Rockford, red heel socks in PINK and ordered them today. If you need a pair you can order here at Supersockmonkey.
It is great when they ignore me with a camera! Jack still sporting his Superman Cape
How to Get Kids to Look at the Camera Lens
Before last night I’d never even heard of a Shutterpal, nor did I know I needed one! I think it is going to be great! I have four grandchildren 2-7 years old and getting their attention simultaneously is tricky. I think this monkey dangling from my camera lens is going to be key in getting some fun photos. Using a Beanie Babies® Socks the Monkey ($4.99), I created a Shutterpal. (click to see the B is for Boy Blog Tutorial with more detailed directions and photos by a cool mom) Won’t need to jingle keys or squeak a squeaky toy to get the baby to look at me when I want to photograph. Laura sent me the link on how to do it but I did it the easy way, without a sewing machine. I did use the suggested seam ripper and a pair of really sharp sewing scissors to open the back seam and empty the stuffing and beans from the torso section of the little guy. I cut out the entire circle of the lens cap right up to his seams all around the torso section. Then I stitched all around the circular hole. Added a red potholder loop as stretchy binding to finish off the raw edge and stitched it on with buttonhole thread. Now I need to go and visit the grandchildren and try it out!! True you don’t always want them to look directly at the camera but with the four grandchildren I am thinking this will be a good solution. Maybe I can do a fun monkey voice. It is always great when the other grandmother is there to get their attention when we are doing the more formal posed ready-for-church-dressed-in-our-best shots.
The camera lens goes right through the monkey!
Here you can see the empty torso with the potholder loop sewn around
This is not for Everyone
Won’t work with a point-and-shoot
but Laura sent me this DIY link.
Saw it and thought of me.
She knows how frustrating it can be.
For the times when you want to capture
a baby and/or toddler’s attention.
She inspired me to be creative.
Sock Monkey Signage in Museum Exhibit
From the archives. My sister noticed I post a lot of food on the blog. It’s true. Tonight it could have been the pesto on penne and the apple plum one crust pie. Instead I went to an old folder. You probably didn’t know there’s a Sock Monkey Exhibit in the Midway Village Museum in Rockford IL. Mary and I went when we were visiting family. The Rockford socks are no longer manufactured in Rockford but by Fox River Mills in Osage Iowa. I have made a few sock monkeys in my day. People have feelings about Sock Monkeys.There is a convention called Sock Monkey Madness in Rockford. They call the monkey Nelson after the man who invented the knitting machine that made the socks.
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